Today a young African American man named John Raynor came to my door with a clipboard, showed me a school certificate, and asked for a donation of $15 so he could pay for tuition to attend San Jose State University and study Computer Science. I wrote him a check, received a receipt, and he continued on his fund raising journey.
When my roommates came home, I told them what happened and immediately they jumped to statements and conclusions such as “I bet you got scammed,” “He pretty much stole your money,” and “I bet he took the San Jose State University certificate from someone and is using it to trick people.”
It’s somewhat frustrating how pessimistic some people can be about those working hard to get by in life. Regardless of what his true intentions were, I gave this man the benefit of the doubt and decided that if I had the privilege to pay for and attend UC Berkeley, then this man who is out in the freezing cold asking for donations door-to-door sure as hell deserves the same chance to attend college and get a degree.
Sometimes you just have to put your doubts aside and do what you feel is right. The world’s a better place that way.